Of wild places and open spaces

At its booth on Holden Days, White Oak Land Conservation Society ran a contest for children, inviting then to complete the statement, “We should always keep wild places in Holden because …” Some of their responses:

“It’s part of the Earth.” Caleb Polsky, 5

“Animals live there and they would die if we destroy it.” Dorothy Cahill, 8

“We need oxygen from the trees and places to play.” Lily Christenson, 9

“I like to go whitewater rafting and find frogs in ponds. I lke to walk in the woods. When you plant new trees, they grow big and make new trees.” Anne Schartz, 9

“They relax people and they are beautiful. They give animals homes and they give us water and air too.” Lynn Barton, 10

“We need to keep our ecosystem going. We need trees to stay alive. We also need wild places because if we destroy these places, they will some day all be gone.” Ann Hankins, 10

“Without all of the trees to convert the carbon dioxide into oxygen, we couldn’t live and breathe.” Allan Martin, 10

“I like it because it is so quiet and peaceful, and you can hear the birds.” Dillon George, 11

White Oak has encouraged and supported nature education programs in the Wachusett District schools for more than 20 years. Teachers and parents interested in furthering this effort can contact White Oak at (508) 8295739.